Microfinance, Innovations, Sustainable Development - Donor

Microfinance: Loans to poor rarely transform lives

Gerard — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:41:20 GMT

The idea has a wonderfully simple and powerful appeal: Give a tiny loan to a poor person in a poor nation. Watch her start a small business – whether hawking tomatoes or fattening goats – that puts her and her family on the first rung of a ladder that will elevate them out of poverty and into the middle class. Repeat across the planet.

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World Bicycle Relief Reaches Milestone Of 100,000 Bicycles Distributed

Gerard — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:41:32 GMT

World Bicycle Relief, a not for profit organization created by bike industry leader SRAM Corporation to aid victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka recently distributed its 100,000th bicycle to people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

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World Food Day Is Not a Time for Celebration, But a Time For Action

Gerard — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:50:59 GMT

Famine is not simply caused by a lack of food in the global supply. We must -- and can -- do better.

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ONE Launches Effort to End Famine

Gerard — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:43:42 GMT

"ONE is about justice, not charity," he says. "It's about the shared value of every human life. That's why we're here -- to bring this to people's attention and to do something about it. …Your voice together with mine together with millions of others makes a big difference."
Advocacy group ONE is gaining support for its efforts to end the critical famine in Somalia with its new PSA effort, "The F Word: Famine Is the Real Obscenity." The PSAs, which debuted last week online and on TV, have already inspired more than 200,000 people worldwide to sign the organization's petition to end famine.

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UK - Africa: Radio 4 Appeal for Microloan Foundation

Gerard — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 11:16:07 GMT

Gabby Logan presents the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the MicroLoan Foundation. The MicroLoan Foundation is a specialist ‘not for profit’ UK microfinance charity that provides microfinance (small loans of on average £70), business education and ongoing mentoring support to impoverished women in sub-Saharan Africa. This provides them with a “hand-up not a hand-out” so they can develop self-sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families, and work their own way out of poverty. 99% of the loans are repaid and then recycled in full to help more women year after year.

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A “theory of evolution” for technology

Gerard — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:03:34 GMT

It is time for the academic community to come to the aid of an old and ailing friend — the “science” of technological knowledge. In other words, rather than relying on individual fields of study to come up with new bits of “technology”), we must study technological advancement as a process itself, across disciplines. The time is right; recent advances in the management of technology have laid the necessary groundwork to do so.

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West Bengal: World Bank to plan conservation and development of Sunderbans

Gerard — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:54:45 GMT

The World Bank has taken up a mega-project, touted to be the first of its kind, for conserving the rich biodiversity and boosting socio-economic development of the Sundarbans area in West Bengal. "This has been done according to the recommendation of the Planning Commission of India and (the project) is expected to be complete at the end of this year," state's Sundarbans Affairs Minister Shyamal Mondal said.

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Cultivating Knowledge and Crops: Women Are Key to Sustainable Agricultural Development

Gerard — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:13:18 GMT

Women account for 75 percent of the agricultural producers in sub-Saharan Africa, but the majority of women farmers are living on only $1.25 per day, according to researchers from the Worldwatch Institute

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Pakistan: SBP to launch £10m Financial Innovation Challenge Fund

Gerard — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:27:25 GMT

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will soon launch the £10 million Financial Innovation Challenge Fund as stated by the Deputy Governor of SBP, Yaseen Anwar on Saturday.

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Tanzania: UN extends $90 mn loan for access to rural finances

Gerard — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:12:56 GMT

The United Nations recently announced a $90 million loan for strengthening access to rural financial services and markets, and promoting private sector development in Tanzania. More than 500,000 vulnerable rural households, including smallholder farmers, livestock keepers, fishers, small-scale rural entrepreneurs, traders and artisans, grass-roots microfinance institutions, processing and marketing groups, poor rural women and rural youth are expected to get benefit from this programme.

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The Role Of Microfinance In Women's Entrepreneurship

Gerard — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:30:48 GMT

7 Women Leaders Speak On The Role Of Microfinance In Women's Entrepreneurship

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5 Myths About Microcredit

Gerard — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 08:14:46 GMT

Microfinance was once a darling of international economics. Small loans between $50 and $500 to low-income individuals and small businesses were believed by many to offer a ladder out of poverty. But recently, microcredit has come under heat, often for inaccurate reasons. Here are five myths we need to overcome.

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MIX Brings Social Performance to the Forefront of Microfinance

Gerard — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:30:12 GMT

Recent microfinance crises and debate over the practices of microfinance institutions (MFIs) have made it more apparent than ever that financial performance should not be the only standard by which MFIs should be evaluated. To measure an MFI's overall performance, social performance management -- the process of ensuring that an MFI acts in a socially responsible manner -- has emerged as a critical factor. Thanks to the support of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Ford Foundation, the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), the industry's leading source for financial and social performance data, now offers funders and other stakeholders easy access to social performance information in conjunction with financial performance information. As part of its ongoing mission to enhance transparency in the microfinance industry, MIX has taken major steps both to integrate social performance reporting with standard financial reporting and to enhance data access.

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Zafen: Redefining "Interest" in the Changing World of Microfinance

Gerard — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 07:47:06 GMT

Microfinance has taken a beating lately for shifting far afield from its humanitarian origins, originally funding tiny businesses run by poor women in developing countries to feed their families. It's become a good idea gone bad, a charitable enterprise spoiled as profit surpassed people as the rationale for investment. It sickens the soul. But all is not lost. A new concept in which the interest charged on a microloan isn't a percentage, but rather an improvement to a community, has seen early success in Haiti. Although small in scale, this model might be just the thing to help microfinance rebound as an effective, credible and responsible method of funding small businesses lacking capital that don't qualify for loans from traditional banks. The concept comes from Zafèn, an online microfinance initiative approaching its first anniversary on April 1.

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Lies, Hype, and Profit: The Truth About Microfinance

Gerard — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:00:19 GMT

The backlash against microcredit questions the myth that the poor can easily climb out of poverty with some credit; or that microcredit can be financially self-sustaining. Microcredit is supposed to be a lifeline for borrowers, a winner for investors, and a self-funding route out of poverty for the world. The reality is far more complex. Thus, microcredit requires a delicate and ongoing balancing act between undesirable extremes. It's no wonder then that accusations fly when balance is lost.

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Davos: Warning of ‘global suicide,’ Ban Ki-Moon calls for Revolution to Ensure Sustainable Development

Gerard — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:37:54 GMT

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for “revolutionary action” to achieve sustainable development, warning that the past century’s heedless consumption of resources is “a global suicide pact” with time running out to ensure an economic model for survival.

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World Future Energy Summit Kicks Off in Abu Dhabi

Gerard — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:54:14 GMT

Abu Dhabi, UAE, may be overflowing with oil, but the Emirate is also brimming with ideas and commitments to a green energy future. Such was the key take-a-way at the star-studded opening session of the World Future Energy Summit 2011 this morning. The summit is taking place not far from the emerging city of Masdar – designed to be a showpiece of cleantech innovation and green urban planning.

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CARE launches online micro-finance site to support entrepreneurs in developing world

Gerard — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:18:49 GMT

Leading aid agency CARE International UK has launched www.lendwithcare.org - an innovative micro-finance website aimed at transforming the way people give. Lendwithcare.org enables people in the UK to invest in entrepreneurs in the developing world. Investors can lend from just £15 directly to a chosen individual to help them start or improve a small business.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

UK: NGOs call for stronger role for Parliament in sustainable development

Gerard — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:27:38 GMT

Last week's report from the Environmental Audit Committee : "Embedding Sustainable Development across Government" confirms that sustainable development has not been fully embedded across Government because the political will to do so has not been maintained. However, it does not go far enough in calling for urgent institutional reform to make this the "greenest government ever", say WWF-UK and FDSD.

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Donations: NetSuite.org Enables Social Enterprises To Do Good, Better

Gerard — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:06:34 GMT

NetSuite Inc., the industry’s leading vendor of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, today announced the latest social enterprises to benefit from a NetSuite.org product donation. NetSuite.org is NetSuite’s unique corporate citizenship program, which enables growing social enterprises to access product donations of NetSuite’s cloud-based business software service that helps deliver increased productivity, reduced operating costs, and improved organizational flexibility.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

CERMI: Centre for European Research in Microfinance

Gerard — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:55:15 GMT

CERMi’s mission is to promote academic research in order to support the key stakeholders in the microfinance industry: NGOs, cooperatives, donors, investment funds and financial institutions, and to develop suitable frameworks to critically examine existing microfinance practices.

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FAO: Record high global food prices triggers fears of unrest

Gerard — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:19:14 GMT

Food prices hit a record high last month, outstripping levels that prompted riots in 2008, and key grains could climb even further as weather patterns give cause for concern, the UN's food agency said on Wednesday. Record high food prices are moving to the top of policymaker agendas, driven by fears it could stoke inflation, protectionism and unrest and dent consumer demand in key emerging economies.

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World Council of Credit Unions

Gerard — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:52:55 GMT

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the leading international trade association and development agency for credit unions. WOCCU promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. WOCCU advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.

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Al Gore urges China, US to build greener cities

Gerard — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:49:56 GMT

Former US vice-president Al Gore took part in the 2011 Global Urban Development Forum in Beijing. Gore said Thursday China and the United States -- the world's biggest polluters -- should work on designing greener cities as part of their efforts to tackle climate change.

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Good News Bank Story? Global Sustainable Banking Network Expands

Gerard — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 08:11:31 GMT

The Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of the world's leading sustainable banks, announces four new members today from South America, North America, and Europe. The banks join nine founding banks committed to building a better financial future in challenging times.

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Shanti Microfinance Launches $772K MFI Fund

Gerard — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 02:24:36 GMT

Shanti Microfinance, a not-for-profit organization, is raising a $772,000 (£500,000) fund backed by UK and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The firm has already disbursed £10k (USD) and plans to start its operations in Gujarat before moving to Mumbai next year.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Kiva.org and KIEDF Partner to Bring Online Microfinance to Israel

Gerard — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:00:19 GMT

Kiva, the world's first personal micro-lending website, has teamed with KIEDF (Koret Israel Economic Development Funds) to launch its first and only partnership with an Israeli microfinance institution. This alliance will allow individuals anywhere to make small loans through the Kiva website to Bedouin women of the Negev, Arab Israelis in northern Israel, and other low-income populations throughout Israel.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Wokai: Contributing to Microfinance in China

Gerard — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:47:07 GMT

Wokai is an organization that allows people to contribute directly to microfinance institutions in China, which in turn lend the money to entrepreneurs in rural China. It is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, with core operations in Beijing, supported by individual donors, corporate sponsors, fundraising events and grants.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

ADB’s $250 million risk programme to help expand microfinance to poor

Gerard — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:32:06 GMT

The Board of directors of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) has approved a Microfinance Risk Participation Programme, marking ADB’s first large scale private sector microfinance initiative.

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Asian Development Bank allots $10 M to microfinance, SMEs

Gerard — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:38:03 GMT

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide up to $10 million for a private equity fund that aims to expand microfinance and small bank lending to poor, underserved groups across the region.

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Muhammad Yunus: Microfinance Guru under Pressure

Gerard — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:29:39 GMT

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is under pressure after critics accused him of misusing development aid. The father of microfinance told SPIEGEL ONLINE the allegations are "a total fabrication."

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G20, Basel III and Its Implications for the World Banking System

Gerard — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:57:58 GMT

The Group of 20 Summit scheduled for November in Seoul will provide a forum for a wide range of economic and fiscal issues, ranging from World Bank governance to fossil fuel subsidies.

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World Bank chief to launch carbon market fund

Gerard — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:55:04 GMT

World Bank President Robert Zoellick is set to launch a new multi-million dollar fund in Mexico on Wednesday to help emerging market countries set up their own carbon markets, the bank said on Tuesday.

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Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes launches Jumo, social network for social activism

Gerard — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:09:05 GMT

Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign's director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. Jumo was designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, and with 3,500 organizations on board at launch, would-be philanthropists should be able to find and follow something of interest upon joining.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Zambia: Gender and Rural Finance workshop at Lusaka

Gerard — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 21:57:14 GMT

The grant funded a one day workshop in Lusaka to look at gender issues in rural microfinance programmes. 43 people participated in the workshop, including managers and gender specialists from government ministries, financial institutions, community based organizations and NGOs, donors and colleges. There was also participation from IFAD and FAO.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

ADB to improve dengue, disease monitoring in three Mekong countries

Gerard — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:04:53 GMT

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending $49 million to expand surveillance response systems to help control dengue outbreaks, and prevent the spread of communicable and tropical diseases in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. The Second Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Regional Communicable Diseases Control Project, which is an offshoot of the first GMS Regional Communicable Diseases Control Project, will also target improvements in the capacity of health services and communities involved in disease control in border districts of the three countries.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Opportunity International Encourages Citizen Diplomacy and Economic Empowerment

Gerard — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 22:17:24 GMT

Claudia Kennedy, Member of Opportunity's Board of Advisors and First Woman U.S. Army Lieutenant General, Encourages Individuals to Recognize Their Power to Improve People's Lives Around the World.

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Microfinance & Women's Empowerment: The Magic Ingredient?

Gerard — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:32:40 GMT

Microfinance programmes are currently being promoted as a key strategy for simultaneously addressing both poverty alleviation and women's empowerment. Where financial service provision leads to the setting up or expansion of micro-enterprises there are a range of potential impacts. A Briefing Paper by Linda Mayoux.

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WAM: Women Advancing Microfinance International

Gerard — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:21:32 GMT

WAM began in 2003 after women professionals in the microfinance industry, most of them based in Washington, DC, began meeting, at first informally in each others' homes. This growing group of WAM Founders came together to discuss areas of common concern, to decide if a more formal organization made sense, to explore what such an organization might do to support women who work in the microfinance industry and, ultimately, to support the development of the industry itself. After several months of planning and program design, WAM was formally launched in October 2003. Membership has grown steadily since.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

For the unbanked, is mobile money cheap enough?

Gerard — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:53:33 GMT

Claudia McKay and Mark Pickens from CGAP have pulled together a comprehensive global pricing study on banking services targeting poor, unbanked and underbanked people in Africa, Asia and Brazil. The study examines pricing for services targeting unbanked and underbanked poor people in 10 countries. The conclusion: mobile banking and other forms of branchless banking are cheaper than traditional banking, but the gap between the two may not be as wide as some may think.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Opportunity International: Giving the Poor a Working Chance

Gerard — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:49:10 GMT

Opportunity co-founder and former president of Bristol Myers International Corporation, the late Al Whittaker, encountered poverty as he travelled throughout the world in the 1960’s and 70’s. He asked the people he met: “What do you need?” They replied: "Work. With jobs, we will solve our own problems."

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Middle East And North Africa "Social Entrepreneurs Of The Year"

Gerard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:38:14 GMT

Two Social Entrepreneurs one from Morocco and one from Tunisia - were recognized as leading social innovators during a plenary session at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, Marrakech, Morocco on 26 October. The awards were conferred by Hilde Schwab, Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

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Can microfinance programs heal rape victims in Congo?

Gerard — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:30:12 GMT

Microfinance programs geared toward African women can actually help heal victims of rape the same way that psychological counseling does – by restoring self-respect.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Innovating solutions to extreme poverty

Gerard — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:02:02 GMT

US$2.3 trillion has been spent by the global North on international aid in the last five decades. Nevertheless, close to half of the world's population still lives in poverty. One in five live in extreme poverty. Aid is not working as well as it should. Unless we can inject the spirit of innovation into this provision, the extreme poor we try to help in places like Bangladesh will continue to remain poor.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Norwegian Microfinance Initiative (NMI) Invests $4.5m in Kenya Women Finance Trust – Deposit Taking Microfinance (KWFT-DTM) and Uganda Finance Trust (UFT)

Gerard — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:41:19 GMT

The Norwegian Microfinance Initiative (NMI), a partnership between the Norwegian public and private sectors that provides assistance for microfinance institutions (MFIs) in developing countries, recently loaned KES 325 million (approximately USD 4.03 million) to Kenya Women Finance Trust – Deposit Taking Microfinance (KWFT- DTM), a microfinance institution based in Nairobi, Kenya, and UGX 1.25 billion (approximately USD 548,000) to the Uganda Finance Trust (UFT), an MFI in Kampala, Uganda, to support microenterprises.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Canada pledges $43.4M in aid to Francophone African countries

Gerard — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:59:53 GMT

Canada will invest $43.4-million in new aid to Francophone African countries, the most tangible product of Stephen Harper’s trip to the weekend’s summit of Francophone nations. The funding, part of $1.1-billion in aid that the Conservative government promised in June to protect mothers and their children at the G8 summit of leading developed nations in Huntsville, Muskoka, will help protect 1.1 million women and children from malnourishment and sexual violence.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Loans $8m to Export and Credit Bank (ECB) of Macedonia

Gerard — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:02:51 GMT

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), a development finance institution headquartered in London, has loaned Export and Credit Bank (ECB), a commercial bank in Macedonia, EUR 6 million (USD 8.3 million) for on-lending to local businesses undertaking sustainable energy investmets or investments aimed at improving their competitiveness in local and European markets. EBRD holds a 25 percent stake in ECB.

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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Gerard — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:27:56 GMT

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) at Colorado State University provides innovative training in community-based development (online and face-to-face), consultation, evaluation, and project support services for individuals and governmental, international non-governmental, and community-based organizations around the world.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.

Village Earth : Sustainable Village Based Development

Gerard — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:39:48 GMT

Village Earth's mission is to help reconnect communities to the resources that promote human well-being by enhancing social and political empowerment, community self-reliance and self-determination.

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IFC Partners with Bank Constanta to Strengthen Risk Management Capacity in Georgia

Gerard — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:22:14 GMT

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, will work with Bank Constanta to improve its risk management practices, which will help the bank increase lending to smaller businesses in Georgia. This initiative is part of a broader IFC strategy to strengthen local banks in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

This weblog is sponsored by Avgo.org and Photo Cyprus.